
The semiconductor manufacturing industry is constantly seeking to improve the processes used to manufacture microelectronic circuits and components, such as the manufacture of integrated circuits from wafers. The improvements come in various forms but, generally, have one or more objectives as the desired goal. The objectives of many of these improved processes include: 1) decreasing the amount of time required to process a wafer to form the desired integrated circuits; 2) increasing the yield of usable integrated circuits per wafer by, for example, decreasing the likelihood of contamination of the wafer during processing; 3) reducing the number of steps required to turn a wafer into the desired integrated circuits; and 4) reducing the cost of processing the wafers into the desired integrated circuit by, for example, reducing the costs associated with the chemicals required for the processing.
In the processing of wafers, it is often necessary to subject one or more sides of the wafer to a fluid in either liquid, vapor or gaseous form. Such fluids are used to, for example, etch the wafer surface, clean the wafer surface, dry the wafer surface, passivate the wafer surface, deposit films on the wafer surface, etc. Control of the physical parameters of the processing fluids, such as their temperature, molecular composition, dosing, etc., is often quite crucial to the success of the processing operations. As such, the introduction of such fluids to the surface of the wafer occurs in a controlled environment. Typically, such wafer processing occurs in what has commonly become known as a reactor.
Various reactor constructions and configurations are known and used in the industry. The Equinox reactor, manufactured by Semitool, Inc., Kalispell, Mont., has a cup assembly that includes a fixed cup constructed from a material that does not chemically react with the processing fluids that are to be used for the particular wafer processing steps. Within the cup, a plurality of nozzles, or other means for introducing fluid into the cup, are provided. The fixed cup has an open top portion. A rotor head assembly that supports the wafer is used to seal the top of the cup to define a processing chamber in which the wafer is housed for processing. In addition to introducing the wafer into the processing chamber, the rotor head assembly may be used to spin the wafer during introduction of the processing fluid onto the surface of the wafer, or after processing to thereby remove the processing fluid.
During processing, the wafer is presented to the rotor head assembly by a robotic device that operates in a substantially clean environment in which a number of processing reactors are present. The robotic device presents the wafer in an exposed state to the rotor head assembly in an orientation in which the side of the wafer that is to be processed is face up. The rotor head assembly inverts the wafer and engages and seals with the cup for processing. As the wafer is processed, the wafer is oriented so that the side of the wafer being processed is face down.
However, it has now been recognized that demands for future semiconductor manufacturing processes may ultimately require more control and economic efficiency from the reactor. As such, a substantially new approach to processing and reactor design has been undertaken, with the objective of providing greater control of the fluid processes currently used in connection with microelectronic manufacturing, and to provide improved processes.
An apparatus for processing a workplace in a micro-environment is set forth. Workpiece is defined as an object that at least comprises a substrate, and may include further layers of material or manufactured components, such as one or more metallization levels, disposed on the substrate. The apparatus includes a rotor motor and a workpiece housing. The workpiece housing is connected to be rotated by the rotor motor. The workpiece housing further defines a processing chamber therein in which one or more processing fluids are distributed across at least one face of the workpiece by centrifugal force generated during rotation of the housing.
Additionally, the reactor includes several advantageous mechanical features including those that allow the reactor to be used with robotic wafer transfer equipment, those that allow the reactor to be readily re-configured for different processes, and those that allow the processing chamber of the reactor to be easily removed and serviced.